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Friday, November 27, 2009

Church History in the Family - Original 1847 Pioneer Company

SMITH/HAWKES familyWOOD/PARKER family

Church News

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Biographies of the original 1847 pioneer company

Published: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

Editors note: The following are biographies of the 143 men, 3 women and 2 children comprising the first pioneer company that left the Elkhorn River April 7, 1847. They were organized into hundreds, fifties and tens. Along the way, the group's size changed several times and not all those who started completed the journey because of various changes in duties. However, Church historians have determined that the credit for blazing the trail should go equally to all who began.

[On this family history blog I include only the histories of the two original pioneers who are a part of our family.]

Ensign, Horace Datus – (7th Ten) Born May 8, 1826, at Westfield, Hampden Co., Mass., to Horace Datus and Mary Brunson Ensign. His parents joined the Church in 1843. The senior Ensign died in September 1846 in Winter Quarters. Datus, the oldest son, was baptized Dec. 6, 1846 at Winter Quarters. He was a carpenter and mechanic, and served as night guard. After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, he started back to Winter Quarters but met his family in the Daniel Spencer Company. He continued with this company to the valley, arriving Sept. 22, 1847. He was assigned to assist in repairing the Goodyear Fort in Ogden, Weber Co., Utah. In 1850, he married Eliza Jane Stewart. He participated in the so-called Echo Canyon war, delaying Johnston's army in 1856-57 from entering the Salt Lake Valley. Ensign later settled just south of the Goodyear Fort on the Weber River. Because of the river's overflow, he had to rebuild and eventually located on what became a city park. When that happened, he was given another parcel of property, where he built another home and lived there until his death, in Ogden on Sept. 1, 1866, at age 40.

Horace Datus ENSIGN Jr. is the 3rd great-grand uncle of TRW. Their common ancestors are Horace Datus ENSIGN and Mary BRONSON.

Roundy, Shadrach– (13th Ten) Born Jan. 1, 1789, Rockingham, Windham Co., Vt., to Uriah and Lucretia Needham Roundy. He married Betsy Quimby in about 1814. After hearing the gospel preached, he traveled to Fayette, N.Y., in the winter of 1830-31 to meet Joseph Smith, after which he was baptized. He gave of his resources to build the Kirtland Temple. He later moved to Missouri. He was captain of the police in Nauvoo and once intercepted an attempt to kidnap Joseph Smith. He was appointed a major in the first pioneer company. A member of the advance party, he was one of three men to plow the first furrow's in the Saint's newfound home. While returning to Winter Quarters, he met his son, Lorenzo Wesley, enroute to Salt Lake Valley in the company of Orson Spencer. So father and son traded places and Shadrach spent the winter of 1847-48 in the Salt Lake Valley. There he became a member of the first high council and the Territorial legislature. He was the first bishop of the Sixteenth Ward and served from 1849-56. He crossed the plains five times to assist poor immigrants. He was one of the founders of Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Association. He died in Salt Lake City on July 4, 1872, at age 83.